JUSTICE

On February 24, discussion of the criminal case against Rasul Jafarov, founder of the Human Rights Club, was renewed in the Baku Court on Grave Crimes. The Azerbaijan human rights defender, which was declared prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was brought to the court with handcuffs, just like detainees accused of grave crimes.

On December 15, Human Rights Center organized a round table in the frame of the project “Promoting Freedom of Religion in Georgia.” The project is implemented with financial support of the Canadian Embassy.

On February 18, relatives and lawyers of the deceased prisoner Levan Kortava, inmate in the Geguti # 14, gathered in front of the parliament. They requested meeting with the chairman of the Healthcare and Social Issues Parliamentary Committee Dimitry Khundadze with the request to restore justice.

President Giorgi Margvelashvili named former judge of Supreme Court, Nino Gvenetadze, as a candidate for the post of Supreme Court chairperson to replace Kote Kublashvili, whose ten-year term in office expires this month.

Life-sentenced convicts from Prison # 8 sent letter to Human Rights Center. According to their statement, part of life-sentenced prisoners started hunger-strike on January 26, 2015. They request to enforce the 28.12.2012 Amnesty Law and eliminate the discrimination against them.

Azerbaijan Court started the substantial hearing of Rasul Jafarov’s case, a famous Azerbaijan human rights defender. On February 10, the accused person and three victims were questioned at the trial in the Baku Court on Grave Crimes. However, many questions remained unclear after the process. It is noteworthy that there were no links between the case materials and victim testimonies. The character of Azerbaijan court hearings is also very significant.

On February 6, pedestrian Nana Giglemiani, 19, was crashed by car in Agmashenebeli Avenue in Kutaisi. As a result of the car-crash the girl died on the place. The witnesses say the driver of the car disappeared. A young man was arrested, who as family members claim, is innocent. They claim the law enforcement officers hide the real perpetrator.

On February 3, substantial hearing into the criminal case against famous Azerbaijan human rights defender Intigam Aliyev started with unexpected decision of the court collegium at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes. As soon as the trial started, the judge ordered to release the human rights defender from the cage without any solicitations from the parties.

Article 3 (No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment), Article 5 (Right to Liberty and Security), Article 6 (Right to a Fair Trial) and Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) – on October 23, 3014 Strasbourg Court of Human Rights closed Sulkhan Molashvili’s case and ruled violation of four articles of the European Convention on Human Rights in it.

January 27, Baku, Azerbaijan, corner of Vurgun Street. The number of people at the side entrance to the court discussing particularly grave cases is increasing – citizens, foreign observers and journalists are waiting for the trial of the Azerbaijan human rights defender Rasul Jafarov. Everybody tries to be closest to the door – the trial might be scheduled in such a small courtroom that not everybody will manage to enter. The local journalists say it often happens there.